I joined this board about a year ago but this is actually my first post ever.

My question has to do with sense of taste while dreaming. Yesterday I dreamed that I was drinking beer--two cans. I remember thinking to myself after I drank one of them, my God, this tastes like crap. When I tried the other, it had a very pleasant taste.

How common is it for people in dreams to have a sense of taste and other senses? I guess I'm referring in particular to both touch and smell. And if so, would this be any indication of a person's ability to have lucid dreams?

I think taste in dreams is the same like other senses in dreams, but usually the visual sense is the most prominent, so you usually remember your dreams as "movies". Having said that, to have a dream where I actually eat (and taste) something is Quite rare. I have tasted stuff on purpose in lucid dreams though, and the sense of taste is present.

I also have eaten lots of icecream in my dreams with different flavours. Usually I don't really rely on smelling or tasting senses because most of the time they are completely influenced by the one that interacts with them. For example, about the beer: the dream gave some kind of weird taste for that beer because it was expecting you to like it, but you didn't, so the taste was remade according to your reaction to the first one.
I don't know if touching or tasting have any real impact on lucidity, but it cannot be bad thing because this shows you have a strengthful sense of dream recall, and this is very important while trying to achieve LD's.
As for me, I never felt the dreams like "movies". For example, when I talk to a DC, I can clearly feel it's warmth, it's breath, it's smell (sometimes), it's heart beating slower or faster, just like IRL scenario.

Ah food in dreams. I've eaten so many things. I can always taste in my dreams whenever I choose to eat. Generally from my experience, real edible food tastes like the real stuff. Great in LD's 'cause you can eat as much as you want. INDULGE.
As for eating other random stuff...
Grass tasted vegetable-like. Rocks taste... hmm... unique and bland.
Q's cookies are amazing.
The taste of humans has varied. Some taste similar to hamburgers, some taste like steak, some have this salty meaty taste (kinda like bacon), and bruno tastes like salted almonds.
Blood has tasted like chocolate milk, water, salty water, real blood, and wine. Usually wine.

Ah I have felt lots of tastes in my dreams The really fun thing with dreams is that things taste very similar to RL-food (at least for me) and the tastiest Ive eaten in dreams are cakes theyre so deliscious

The sense of taste and smell in dreams and lucid dreams are quite interesting to discuss, as they are not commonly noticed, if present at all. I have been aware of several food intolerances that I have for about a year now, and there are many types of food that I love, but cannot eat anymore, at least not without using special recipes. I can't even eat regular pizza, hamburgers or cake like so many others take for granted, so I eat these kinds of foods in lucid dreams.

For me, sometimes, the sense of taste is not present until I focus on it and consciously will to feel it. But usually, I have quite a strong sense of taste in my lucid dreams, and the food might taste even better than in real life! I can't remember eating anything in a non lucid dream, though.

Come to think of it, I have a lot of dreams where I get food, but only a few where I actually eat it. Out of those, the food is mostly bland. I can tell you not to mix chocolate milk and carbonated water though. XP

I've had it happen a few times...I only remember pleasant tastes though(somekind of berries/fruit and candies). Also pretty sure I experienced smells in dreams, though I can't remember of any in particular.